Information processing apparatus and non-transitory computer readable medium storing program

ABSTRACT

An information processing apparatus includes a securing section that secures a storage area in a shared server and a control section that changes a secured capacity of the storage area according to a storage status of the storage area after the storage area is secured by the securing section.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2019-037396 filed Mar. 1, 2019.

BACKGROUND (i) Technical Field

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus anda non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program.

(ii) Related Art

A technique of uploading a file such as a document to a shared server isknown in the related art.

A technique of saving an upload target folder in another area having anempty capacity when the upload target folder reaches an upper limitcapacity, in a case where a capacity is limited per folder, is disclosedin JP2015-228194A.

A technique of temporarily saving a file, which exists in a target area,in a save area in a case where the file exceeding an upper limitcapacity is uploaded is disclosed in JP2012-156824A.

SUMMARY

In a case where a storage area for a file such as a document is securedin the shared server and a secured capacity is fixed, and when acapacity of a file that a user actually stores exceeds the securedcapacity, the file cannot be stored, or it is necessary to save the filein an area different from the secured storage area. In addition, in acase where the secured capacity is excessively large, the large capacitylimits another user of the shared server in using the server.

Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate toan information processing apparatus and a non-transitory computerreadable medium storing a program that provide a storage area having anappropriate capacity according to an actual storage status to a userafter the storage area is secured in a shared server.

Aspects of certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosureovercome the above disadvantages and/or other disadvantages notdescribed above. However, aspects of the non-limiting embodiments arenot required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and aspectsof the non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure may notovercome any of the disadvantages described above.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided aninformation processing apparatus including a securing section thatsecures a storage area in a shared server and a control section thatchanges a secured capacity of the storage area according to a storagestatus of the storage area after the storage area is secured by thesecuring section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention will be described indetail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of data flow of the exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a (first) schematic diagram showing a change in a securedcapacity of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a (second) schematic diagram showing the change in the securedcapacity of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a (third) schematic diagram showing the change in the securedcapacity of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a (fourth) schematic diagram showing the change in the securedcapacity of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an overall processing flow chart of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a detailed flow chart of some processing of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an alternative flow chart of some processing of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a (first) explanatory diagram showing an example of a screenof the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a (second) explanatory diagram showing an example of thescreen of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a (third) explanatory diagram showing an example of thescreen of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a (fourth) explanatory diagram showing an example of thescreen of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a (fifth) explanatory diagram showing an example of thescreen of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a (sixth) explanatory diagram showing an example of thescreen of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a (seventh) explanatory diagram showing an example of thescreen of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 17 is an (eighth) explanatory diagram showing an example of thescreen of the exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 18 is a processing flow chart of a modification example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed based on the drawings with a server/client system given as anexample.

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information processingapparatus of the exemplary embodiment. The information processingapparatus includes a client user terminal 10 operated by a user, who isa client requesting the upload of a file such as a document, a requestdestination user terminal 12 operated by a request destination user, whois requested to upload a file such as a document, and a shared server14. The client user terminal 10, the request destination user terminal12, and the shared server 14 are connected by a communication network 16such that data can be transmitted and received therebetween. Thecommunication network 16 may be any one of a public line or a privateline, and may be any one of a wired line or a radio line.

The client user terminal 10 is a personal computer (PC), a tabletterminal, or an information mobile terminal such as a smartphone,includes a processor or a memory, an input and output device, and acommunication interface (I/F), and requests the upload of a file such asa document via the communication network 16.

The request destination user terminal 12 is a personal computer (PC), atablet terminal, or an information mobile terminal such as a smartphone,includes a processor or a memory, an input and output device, and acommunication interface (I/F), receives a request to upload a file suchas a document via the communication network 16, and uploads a file suchas a document to the shared server 14 via the communication network 16according to the request.

The shared server 14 is a server computer, and includes a control device141, a communication interface (I/F) 142, a ROM 143, a RAM 144, and astorage device 145. The control device 141 is configured with one or aplurality of processors, reads a processing program stored in a programmemory of the ROM 143, and realizes various types of processing byexecuting the processing program. In a case where an upload request isreceived from the client user terminal 10 via the communication I/F 142,the control device 141 secures a storage area 146 c in a file sharingarea 146 of the storage device 145.

The file sharing area 146 in the storage device 145 is an area that canbe shared by a plurality of users, and an upper limit capacity thereofis determined in advance. The control device 141 secures the storagearea 146 c in an empty area 146 b excluding an already used area 146 aof the file sharing area 146. That is, the following is satisfied.(Upper limit capacity of file sharing area−Used capacity)≥Securedcapacity

In a case of considering that it is also necessary to provide a userother than the request destination user with the file sharing area 146,the following is appropriate.(Upper limit capacity of file sharing area−Used capacity)>Securedcapacity

A secured capacity of the storage area 146 c may be a fixed valuedetermined in advance, or may be a value according to a request from theclient user terminal 10. The storage device 145 can be configured with ahard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state disk (SSD). In addition, thestorage device 145 does not necessarily have to be incorporated into theshared server 14, and may be connected to the shared server 14 by thecommunication network 16.

In a case where the storage area 146 c is secured, the control device141 transmits a notification of requesting the upload of a file such asa document to the request destination user terminal 12 via thecommunication network 16. In this notification, identificationinformation for identifying the storage area 146 c secured in the filesharing area 146 is included. Although the identification informationcan take any form, the identification information can be set to, forexample, a uniform resource locator (URL).

In a case where a file such as a document is received from the requestdestination user terminal 12 via the communication network 16, thecontrol device 141 stores the file in the storage area 146 c. Inaddition, the control device 141 monitors a storage status of a file inthe storage area 146 c, and changes the secured capacity of the storagearea 146 c according to the storage status. The presence or absence of astored file such as a document, a stored timing, the quality of storage,the amount of storage, and a storer can be included in a storage status.The quality of storage includes an attribute of a stored file. Theamount of storage includes a stored file size and the number of files.The storer includes a person who stores a file.

A change in the secured capacity means changing an initial state of thesecured capacity, and the change in the secured capacity includes atleast any one of an increase or a decrease. The increase includes anincrease in a fixed amount and an increase in a variable amount. Adecrease in the secured capacity includes a decrease in a fixed amountand a decrease in a variable amount. In particular, the decrease in thesecured capacity also includes release of the secured capacity, that is,for example, making the secured capacity zero.

In addition to a case where any one of an increase or a decrease in thesecured capacity is executed, a case where both of an increase and adecrease in the secured capacity are executed is also possible. That is,the secured capacity is decreased after increasing, or the securedcapacity is increased after decreasing.

In addition to a case where the control device 141 automatically changesthe secured capacity in accordance with the processing program, thechange in the secured capacity also includes a case where the securedcapacity is changed according to a request from the client user terminal10 or a request from the request destination user terminal 12.

In FIG. 1, the control device 141 and the storage device 145 eachfunction as a securing section that secures the storage area 146 c inthe shared server 14, and the control device 141 functions as a controlsection that changes the secured capacity of the storage area 146 caccording to a storage status of the storage area 146 c. Some functionsof the control device 141 may be realized by hardware processing insteadof software processing through execution of a program. The hardwareprocessing may be performed, for example, by using a circuit such as anASIC and a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

Processing by the control device 141 is as follows.

-   -   To receive an upload request of a file such as a document from        the client user terminal 10    -   To secure the storage area 146 c in the file sharing area 146 of        the storage device 145 according to an upload request, and to        assign the request destination user to the secured storage area        146 c    -   To notify the request destination user terminal 12 of an upload        request    -   To receive transmission (upload) of a file such as a document        from the request destination user terminal 12    -   To store a received file in the storage area 146 c secured in        the file sharing area 146    -   To monitor a storage status of the storage area secured in the        file sharing area    -   To change the secured capacity of the storage area according to        a storage status

FIG. 2 shows data flow among the client user terminal 10, the requestdestination user terminal 12, and the shared server 14 via thecommunication network 16.

The client user terminal 10 and the request destination user terminal 12transmit and receive a file via the shared server 14. In order toexecute each processing described above, the control device 141 of theshared server 14 includes an upload request processing module, a storagearea securing module, a file storing processing module, and a securedcapacity changing processing module as function modules. Herein, the“module” means a component such as logically separable software andhardware. Although the module may correspond to a function one on one,one module may be configured with one program, or a plurality of modulesmay be configured with one program. In addition, a plurality of modulesmay be executed by one processor, or may be executed by a plurality ofprocessors in a distributed or parallel environment. In processing byeach module, target information is read, processing is performed by aprocessor such as a CPU, and then a processing result is output.

The client user terminal 10 identifies request destination userinformation for requesting upload and request target file informationfor requesting upload, and transmits the information to the sharedserver 14. The client user downloads an application program for usingthe shared server 14 in advance from the shared server 14 to install inthe client user terminal 10, starts the application program to identifyrequest destination user information for requesting upload and requesttarget file information for requesting upload, and thereby can transmitthe information to the shared server 14. The client user may identifyrequest destination user information for requesting upload and requesttarget file information for requesting upload to transmit theinformation to the shared server 14 by using a web application programthat operates on a web browser.

The upload request processing module of the control device 141 in theshared server 14 receives a request from the client user terminal 10.The storage area securing module secures the storage area 146 c in thefile sharing area 146 of the storage device 145 in response to receiptof the upload request. The secured capacity of the storage area 146 cmay be a fixed value determined in advance, for example, 5 MB, or may beset according to file information included in an upload request from theclient user terminal 10. For example, in a case where a file size upperlimit value, which is one type of file information, is identified as 10MB, the storage area securing module secures the secured capacity bysetting the secured capacity to 10 MB. In a case of securing the storagearea 146 c, the storage area securing module checks the upper limitcapacity and the used area of the file sharing area 146, and secures thestorage area 146 c within a range that satisfies the following.(Upper limit capacity of file sharing area−Used capacity)>Securedcapacity

In addition, in a case where the storage area 146 c is secured, thestorage area securing module generates a URL for accessing the storagearea 146 c and sends the URL to the upload request processing module. Ina case where the storage area securing module secures the storage area146 c, the upload request processing module transmits a notification ofan upload request of a file such as a document to the requestdestination user terminal 12. A notification destination can beidentified from request destination user information included in arequest from the client user terminal 10. In addition, information foraccessing the secured storage area 146 c is included in thenotification, and specifically is the URL of the storage area 146 c,which is generated by the storage area securing module.

The request destination user terminal 12 receives a notification fromthe shared server 14, accesses the storage area 146 c by usinginformation for accessing the storage area 146 c, and transmits(uploads) a request target file included in request target fileinformation identified by the client user terminal 10 to the sharedserver 14.

The file storing processing module receives the request target filetransmitted from the request destination user terminal 12, and checks afile size thereof. Then, in a case where the file size is equal to orsmaller than the secured capacity, the request target file is stored inthe storage area 146 c. On the other hand, in a case where the file sizeexceeds the secured capacity, the request target file cannot be storedin the storage area 146 c as it is. Thus, error processing determined inadvance is executed. The error processing includes sending anotification indicating that the secured capacity is exceeded to therequest destination user terminal 12 and increasing the securedcapacity. In a case where the request target file is stored, the filestoring processing module notifies the client user terminal 10 of thefact that the request target file is stored. In a case where thisstoring notification is received, the client user terminal 10 accessesthe storage area of the shared server 14 at an appropriate timing, anddownloads the stored request target file. The file storing processingmodule reads the file stored in the storage area 146 c in response to arequest from the client user terminal 10 and transmits the file to theclient user terminal 10, thereby performing download.

The secured capacity changing processing module monitors a storagestatus of a file in the storage area in parallel with file storingprocessing by the file storing processing module, and changes thesecured capacity of the storage area 146 c according to the storagestatus. In a case where a file is stored by the file storing processingmodule, the secured capacity changing processing module controls thesecured capacity to decrease under certain conditions. In addition, alsoin a case where a file is not stored by the file storing processingmodule, the secured capacity changing processing module controls thesecured capacity to decrease. In a case where the file storingprocessing module has determined that the file size exceeds the securedcapacity, the secured capacity changing processing module controls thesecured capacity to increase under certain conditions in response tothis determination.

Although the client user who operates the client user terminal 10 is aregistered user who has authority to use the shared server 14 in theexemplary embodiment, the request destination user who operates therequest destination user terminal 12 may be, in addition to being aregistered user who has authority to use the shared server 14, anunregistered user who does not have authority to use the shared server14. In a case of the latter, an upload request from the client userterminal 10 can be seen as giving the unregistered user temporaryauthority to use the shared server 14. In a case of giving theunregistered user the temporary authority to use the shared server 14,it is necessary to secure the storage area 146 c that can be used by theunregistered user in the shared server 14, but an initial securedcapacity of the storage area 146 c is not an appropriate capacity inmany cases. That is, a case where the secured capacity is excessivelysmaller than a file size to be uploaded is caused, or the securedcapacity is made excessively large with a margin. Thus, the file sharingarea 146 that can be used by other users decreases, and therebyconvenience reduces. In a case where the registered user knows a filesize of a request target, of which upload is being requested, inadvance, an appropriate secured capacity can be initially set accordingto the file size. However, in a case where the file size is unknown orinaccurate, a margin is left just in case. As a result, there are manycases where an initial secured capacity becomes excessively large. In acase of requesting such an unregistered user to upload, for example,requesting a client who is in a business alliance to upload a certainfile and securing the storage area 146 c under circumstances where afile size, which is a request target, is unknown, the exemplaryembodiment is considered to be effective.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a secured capacity change of the storage area146 c according to a storage status, which is executed by the controldevice 141.

Apart (a) of FIG. 3 shows an initial state of the storage area 146 c.The control device 141 secures the storage area 146 c, which is assignedto the request destination user, of the empty area 146 b excluding theused area 146 a of the file sharing area 146. For example, in a casewhere the file sharing area is 20 MB, the used area 146 a is 10 MB, andthe empty area 146 b is 10 MB, 4 MB, out of 10 MB of the empty area, issecured as the storage area 146 c. Secured capacity=4 MB is satisfied.In a case where there is the upload of a file such as a document to theshared server 14 from the request destination user terminal 12 in thisinitial state, the control device 141 receives and stores the uploadedfile in the storage area 146 c. The size of the uploaded file such as adocument is, for example, 2 MB.

A part (b) of FIG. 3 shows a state where the uploaded file is stored inthe storage area 146 c. For example, in a case where the securedcapacity of the storage area 146 c is 4 MB and the stored file size is 2MB, a remaining capacity in the storage area 146 c is 2 MB. In a case ofnot changing the secured capacity, the remaining capacity of 2 MB ismaintained as it is.

A part (c) of FIG. 3 shows a state where the secured capacity of thestorage area 146 c is changed. The remaining capacity in the storagearea 146 c is released, that is, becomes 0 MB from 2 MB, and the emptyarea 146 b increases from 6 MB to 8 MB. That means that in a case wherea file, which is a request target, is uploaded and stored in the storagearea 146 c, the storage area 146 c is forcibly released and decreaseduntil zero even though there is a remaining capacity in the storage area146 c. In a case where the secured capacity of the storage area 146 cbecomes zero, it is evident that a file cannot be uploaded from therequest destination user terminal 12. On the other hand, since the emptyarea 146 b of the file sharing area 146 increases by the releasedremaining capacity by making the secured capacity of the storage area146 c zero, a usable area by a user other than the request destinationuser (regardless of a registered user or an unregistered user)increases.

FIG. 4 schematically shows another secured capacity change of thestorage area according to a storage status, which is executed by thecontrol device 141.

Apart (a) of FIG. 4 shows an initial state of the storage area. As inthe part (a) of FIG. 3, for example, 4 MB, out of 10 MB of the emptyarea, is secured as the storage area 146 c. That is, secured capacity=4MB is satisfied.

Apart (b) of FIG. 4 shows a state in a case where a file, which is arequest target, is not uploaded from the request destination userterminal 12 within a certain time limit after the storage area 146 c issecured in the file sharing area 146, or after the control device 141transmits an upload request notification to the request destination userterminal 12. The storage area 146 c is released from the initial stateof 4 MB, and is decreased to 0 MB. With this, the empty area 146 bincreases from 6 MB to 10 MB. A usable area by a user other than therequest destination user (regardless of a registered user or anunregistered user) increases by releasing the storage area 146 c andincreasing the empty area 146 b.

FIG. 5 schematically shows still another secured capacity change of thestorage area according to a storage status, which is executed by thecontrol device 141.

Apart (a) of FIG. 5 shows an initial state of the storage area. As inthe part (a) of FIG. 3, for example, 4 MB, out of 10 MB of the emptyarea, is secured as the storage area 146 c. That is, secured capacity=4MB is satisfied.

Apart (b) of FIG. 5 shows a state in a case where a file, which is arequest target, is not uploaded from the request destination userterminal 12 within a certain time limit after the storage area 146 c issecured in the file sharing area 146, or after the control device 141transmits an upload request notification to the request destination userterminal 12. The storage area 146 c is released from the initial stateof 4 MB by 2 MB, and is decreased to 2 MB. With this, the empty area 146b increases from 6 MB to 8 MB.

A part (c) of FIG. 5 shows a case where a file, which is a requesttarget, is not uploaded from the request destination user terminal 12within another certain time limit from the state of the part (b) of FIG.5. The storage area 146 c is released from 2 MB, and is decreased to 0MB. With this, the empty area 146 b increases from 8 MB to 10 MB. FIG. 5corresponds to step-by-step execution of the decrease processing in FIG.4.

FIG. 6 schematically shows still another secured capacity change of thestorage area according to a storage status, which is executed by thecontrol device 141.

A part (a) of FIG. 6 shows an initial state of the storage area. As inthe part (a) of FIG. 3, for example, 4 MB, out of 10 MB of the emptyarea, is secured as the storage area 146 c. That is, secured capacity=4MB is satisfied.

In a case where a file such as a document is uploaded from the requestdestination user terminal 12 to the shared server 14 in this state, thecontrol device 141 stores the uploaded file in the storage area 146 c asshown in FIG. 3. However, in a case where a size of the uploaded fileexceeds the secured capacity of 4 MB, for example, in a case where thesize is 5 MB, the file cannot be stored in the storage area 146 c.

In a case where it is determined that the size of the uploaded fileexceeds the secured capacity of the storage area 146 c, the controldevice 141 increases the secured capacity of the storage area 146 c.

A part (b) of FIG. 6 shows a state where the secured capacity of thestorage area 146 c is increased. The secured capacity of the storagearea 146 c is increased from the initial state of 4 MB to, for example,5 MB. With this, the empty area 146 b decreases from 6 MB to 5 MB. Evenin a case where the uploaded file size is 5 MB, the file can be storedin the storage area 146 c by increasing the secured capacity of thestorage area 146 c. In a case of changing the secured capacity of thestorage area 146 c, the control device 141 may change the securedcapacity according to a request from the client user terminal 10 or therequest destination user terminal 12 in addition to automaticallychanging the secured capacity in accordance with the processing program.In addition, in a case of changing the secured capacity of the storagearea 146 c, the client user terminal 10 or the request destination userterminal 12 may be notified of the change.

After changing the secured capacity, the file is stored in the storagearea 146 c as shown in apart (c) of FIG. 6. Since the secured capacityis equal to the file size in this example, the secured capacity is notcontrolled (not necessary) to decrease even after the file is stored. Ina case where there is a remaining capacity in the storage area 146 cafter the file is stored, the secured capacity is controlled to decreaseas in the part (c) of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 shows an overall processing flow chart of the exemplaryembodiment. In the processing flow chart, for example, the client useris a registered user having authority to use the shared server 14, andthe request destination user is an unregistered user.

First, the client user operates the client user terminal 10 to preparean upload request (S101). The request may be prepared by starting anapplication program downloaded from the shared server 14, or may beprepared by starting an application program that operates on a webbrowser. The upload request includes request destination userinformation and request target file information, and the request targetfile information includes a file size and the number of files. Apreparation screen for preparing an upload request is displayed on theclient user terminal 10, and the client user inputs necessary items intothe preparation screen displayed on a screen of the client user terminal10 to prepare an upload request. The preparation screen may display amethod of notifying the request destination user and an uploading methodfor the request destination user. For example, the following can bedisplayed.

“A link through which a document can be uploaded is transmitted byemail. A person who has received the mail can upload a document byaccessing from the link”

The client user terminal 10 logs into the shared server 14 by usingauthentication information such as an ID and a password, and transmitsthe prepared upload request to the shared server 14.

In a case where the upload request from the client user terminal 10 isreceived, the control device 141 of the shared server 14 secures thestorage area 146 c in the file sharing area 146 of the storage device145. Prior to this, however, the control device checks whether thesecured capacity is equal to or smaller than the upper limit capacity ofthe file sharing area 146 (S102). In a case where the secured capacityexceeds the upper limit capacity (NO in S102), the storage area cannotbe secured. Therefore, the control device sends an error messageindicating that the storage area cannot be secured to the client userterminal 10 as a reply to the upload request (S108).

In a case where the secured capacity is equal to or smaller than theupper limit capacity (YES in S102), the storage area 146 c is secured inthe file sharing area 146 (S103). In a case where there is no used area146 a in the file sharing area 146, the storage area 146 c is securedsuch that the following is satisfied.(Upper limit capacity of file sharing area)>Secured capacityIn a case where there is the already used area 146 a, the storage area146 c is secured such that the following is satisfied.(Upper limit capacity of file sharing area−Used capacity)>Securedcapacity

In a case where a difference between the upper limit capacity of thefile sharing area 146 and the used capacity is equal to or smaller thana lower limit value determined in advance, processing proceeds toprocessing of S108 assuming that there is no sufficient empty capacityallowing the storage area 146 c to be secured, and an error message maybe sent as a reply.

In a case where the storage area 146 c is secured in the file sharingarea 146, the control device 141 transmits an upload requestnotification to the request destination user terminal 12 by using therequest destination user information included in the upload request, forexample, a mail address of the request destination user (S104). Theupload request notification includes client user information, requesttarget file information, and identification information of the storagearea 146 c secured in the file sharing area 146. The identificationinformation of the storage area 146 c is information necessary for therequest destination user, who is an unregistered user, to access thestorage area, and is, for example, a URL of the storage area.Considering that the upload request is made to the unregistered user, itis appropriate that the storage area 146 c can be accessed withoutlogging into the shared server 14.

The control device 141 is brought into a receipt standby state of a filesuch as a document from the request destination user terminal 12 aftertransmitting the upload request notification to the request destinationuser terminal 12. In a case where there is upload from the requestdestination user terminal 12, the control device receives the uploadedfile to store in the storage area 146 c. In addition, in parallel withthis processing, processing of checking the storage status of thestorage area 146 c is executed (S105).

After storing the uploaded file in the storage area 146 c in parallelwith checking the storage status, the control device 141 changes thesecured capacity of the storage area 146 c by increasing/decreasing thesecured capacity according to the storage status (S106). In a case wherethe uploaded file is stored in the storage area 146 c, the controldevice 141 notifies the client user terminal 10 of the storage (S107).In addition, in a case where the secured capacity is increased/decreasedin S106, the client user terminal 10 or the request destination userterminal 12 may be notified of the change. Specifically, in a case wherethe secured capacity is decreased after storing the uploaded file, theclient user terminal 10 is notified of the decrease. In a case where thesecured capacity is decreased since the file is not stored within acertain time limit, the client user terminal 10 and the requestdestination user terminal 12 are notified of the decrease. In a casewhere the secured capacity is increased since the uploaded file sizeexceeds the secured capacity, the client user terminal 10 and therequest destination user terminal 12 are notified of the increase. In acase of increasing the secured capacity, that is, in a case where thesecured capacity is increased according to a request from the clientuser terminal 10 or the request destination user terminal 12, anotification of the increase may not necessarily have to be made. Thatis because the client user or the request destination user has intendedthe increase.

FIG. 8 shows a detailed flow chart of the processing of S105 and S106 inFIG. 7.

After notifying the request destination user terminal 12 of the uploadrequest, the control device 141 transitions to an upload from therequest destination user terminal 12 standby state. The requestdestination user terminal 12 receives the upload request notificationfrom the shared server 14 and displays the notification onto a displaydevice. The request destination user accesses the storage area 146 c byusing information for identifying the storage area 146 c displayed onthe display device, for example, a URL, and uploads a file, which is arequest target.

The control device 141 checks whether or not a file such as a documentis received from the request destination user terminal 12 within acertain time limit in the upload standby state (S201). A start timepoint of the certain time limit is a time point when the storage area146 c is secured by the control device 141, or a time point when therequest destination user terminal 12 is notified of the upload request.An end time point of the certain time limit may be any time set by thecontrol device 141, for example, three days, or may be a time limitincluded in the upload request received from the client user terminal10. The certain time limit functions as an effective time limit untilwhich the request destination user terminal 12 can access the storagearea 146 c.

In a case where the file is not received within the certain time limit(NO in S201), the control device 141 releases the secured capacity ofthe storage area 146 c to decrease the secured capacity to zero (S206).At this time, the secured capacity may be decreased to zero step by stepas shown in FIG. 5.

In a case where the file is received within the certain time limit (YESin S201), the control device 141 determines whether or not the file sizeof the received file is equal to or smaller than the secured capacity ofthe secured area (S202).

In a case where the file size is equal to or smaller than the securedcapacity (YES in S202), the received file is stored in the storage area(S203). Then, it is determined that whether or not the stored file is afile having content determined in advance (S204). The content determinedin advance is content of the upload request transmitted from the clientuser terminal 10, and is a file name of a request target or the numberof files which are request targets. Regardless of matching of filenames, whether or not the number of files stored matches the number offiles requested may be determined, or in short, whether or not at leastthe number of files stored matches the number of files determined inadvance may be determined. In a case where the content of the storedfile matches request content determined in advance (YES in S204),whether or not to select temporary registration (S205) is furtherdetermined. The temporary registration means temporary uploading when adocument planned to be uploaded exists subsequent to a document intendedto be uploaded now. In a case where temporary registration is selected,the request destination user terminal 12 can continue uploading a filedifferent from the uploaded file to the storage area 146 c. Definitiveregistration means that there is no more file to be uploaded and uploadprocessing is completed.

In a case where the requested file matches the content determined inadvance (YES in S204), and definitive registration is selected insteadof temporary registration (NO in S205), the secured capacity of thestorage area is released, that is, the secured capacity is decreased tozero (S206).

In a case where the stored file does not match the content determined inadvance (NO in S204), or temporary registration is selected (YES inS205), secured capacity decrease processing is not executed.

On the other hand, in a case where the file size exceeds the securedcapacity (NO in S202), it is determined next that whether or not thefile size exceeds the secured capacity by an amount that is equal to orsmaller than a threshold, for example, whether or not the file sizeexceeds the secured capacity only by an amount of 10% of the securedcapacity or smaller (S208). In a case where the file size exceeds thesecured capacity only by the amount that is equal to or smaller than thethreshold (YES in S208), it is further determined that whether or notthe file size is equal to or smaller than the upper limit capacity ofthe file sharing area (S209). In a case where the file size is equal toor smaller than the upper limit capacity (YES in S209), the securedcapacity of the storage area 146 c is increased (S210). An increase inthe secured capacity is executed within a range that satisfies thefollowing.(Upper limit capacity of file sharing area−Used capacity)>Securedcapacity.

An increased amount may be a fixed value, or may be a variable value.For example, an increased amount is set according to a difference amountbetween the secured capacity secured in S103 and the file size. Afterincreasing the secured capacity, the received file is stored in theincreased storage area (S211), and processing proceeds to processing forexecuting S204.

In a case where the file size exceeds the secured capacity by an amountexceeding the threshold, for example, in a case where the file sizeexceeds the secured capacity by an amount exceeding 10% of the securedcapacity (NO in S208), the empty capacity of the file sharing area 146is decreased, making the increase of the secured capacity in response tothis a vain attempt. Then, the secured capacity is maintained as it iswithout an increase since the convenience of other users is compromised.Compared to a case of indiscriminately increasing the secured capacityjust because the file size exceeds the secured capacity, the convenienceof other users of the shared server can be kept with the securedcapacity not increased in a case where a size by which the securedcapacity is exceeded is equal to or larger than the threshold. Also in acase where the file size exceeds the upper limit (NO in S209),similarly, the secured capacity is maintained as it is without anincrease.

In a case of YES in S205, that is, temporary registration is selected, acertain length of grace period is provided, and in a case wheredefinitive registration is not made within the grace period, processingof decreasing the secured capacity may be executed. That is because thestorage area 146 c for the request destination user is continued to bemaintained in vain, and the convenience of other users is notcompromised. This means that processing of forcibly decreasing thesecured capacity is executed in a case where registration is notcompleted within a certain length of time (for example, within 24 hours)after the first file upload is executed.

Although the secured capacity is increased in S210 in the example ofFIG. 8, the control device 141 may notify the client user terminal 10 orthe request destination user terminal 12 of the fact that the file sizeexceeds the secured capacity, and increase the secured capacityaccording to a secured capacity increase request from the client userterminal 10 or the request destination user terminal 12.

FIG. 9 shows a processing flow chart of this case. FIG. 9 is analternative processing flow chart of S210 in FIG. 8.

In a case of YES in S209 of FIG. 8, that is, the file size is equal toor smaller than the upper limit capacity, the control device 141notifies the request destination user terminal 12 of the fact that thefile size exceeds the secured capacity of the storage area (S2101).

In a case where the notification is received from the shared server 14,the request destination user terminal 12 displays the notification ontothe display device. Then, the request destination user terminal 12transmits a secured capacity increase request to the shared server 14 inresponse to the notification. For example, the notification from theshared server 14 is as follows.

“Upload cannot be performed since a designated capacity is exceeded.

Do you want to make a capacity increase request?” The requestdestination user transmits the secured capacity increase request to theshared server 14 by operating an OK button in response to thisnotification.

In a case where the increase request is received from the requestdestination user terminal 12 (S2102), the control device 141 transmitsthe increase request to the client user terminal 10 (S2103). Forexample, the following message is transmitted by mail.

“An area increase request is received from the request destination inresponse to the upload request.

In a case of approving the increase, please increase through the linkbelow.”

The client user terminal 10 receives the increase request from theshared server 14 and displays the request onto the display device. Theclient user terminal 10 transmits the approval of the secured capacityincrease in response to the increase request to the shared server 14.

In a case where the increase approval from the client user terminal 10is received (S2104), the control device 141 increases the securedcapacity (S2105). After then, the file is stored in the storage areaincreased by performing the processing of S211 in FIG. 8.

Next, a screen displayed by the display devices of the client userterminal 10 and the request destination user terminal 12 of theexemplary embodiment will be specifically described.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a preparation screen of an upload request,which is displayed onto the display device of the client user terminal10.

As a title of the screen, the following is displayed “Document receipt”

And then, as description of the document receipt, the following isdisplayed.

“A link through which a document can be uploaded is transmitted by mail.A person who has received the mail can upload a document without loggingin by accessing from the link within an effective time limit. In a casewhere you want to set a password, a password can be set from a button onthe lower left of the page.”

Herein, “without logging in” means that upload can be performed even ina case where the upload request destination user is an unregistered userwho does not have authority to use the shared server 14. In a case wherethe upload request destination user is a registered user who hasauthority to use the shared server 14, it is evident that upload can beperformed after logging in.

In addition, input fields for inputting a name, a mail destination, aneffective time limit of receipt, a title of an outgoing mail aredisplayed. A mail address of the request destination user is input asthe mail destination. The effective time limit of receipt is aneffective time limit of upload, and corresponds to the certain timelimit of S201 in FIG. 8. A document name of an upload request target isinput as the title of an outgoing mail. In addition, a button of“detailed setting” is displayed on the lower left, and by operating thebutton, a detailed setting screen appears in a case of setting detaileditems such as password setting.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the detailed setting screen. Input fields ofpassword setting, an upper limit of a size of a file that can beuploaded, and an upper limit of the number of files that can be uploadedare displayed. Password may be any setting. In a case where a passwordis set, the request destination user uploads a document after settingthe password, thereby securing security. The upper limit of a size of afile that can be uploaded is a capacity that serves as a criterion in acase where the control device 141 secures the storage area 146 c in thefile sharing area 146, and corresponds to the secured capacity in aninitial state. The client user prepares an upload request by inputtingthe information into the input fields, and transmits the upload requestto the shared server 14 by operating an “OK” button displayed on thelower right of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a screen of an upload request from theshared server 14, which is displayed onto the display device of therequest destination user terminal 12. By using a mail address input as amail destination, which is input in the preparation screen of FIG. 10,the control device 141 transmits the upload request to the requestdestination user terminal 12 by mail. A name, a requester, a documentreceipt URL, and an effective time limit are displayed in the uploadrequest mail. The requester is a name of the client user. The documentreceipt URL is a URL of the storage area 146 c secured in the filesharing area 146 by the control device 141. The effective time limit isan effective time limit set by the client user in the preparation screenshown in FIG. 10. The request destination user can access the storagearea 146 c by clicking the document receipt URL.

FIG. 13 is an example of a screen for uploading, which is displayed in acase where the request destination user clicks the document receipt URLof FIG. 12. A message indicating that a document can be uploaded by thetime limit is displayed, and a name, an effective time limit, an upperlimit of the number of files, and a file size upper limit are displayed.The information is input in the preparation screens of FIG. 10 and FIG.11. The request destination user sets a document, which is a requesttarget, as a document to be uploaded, and uploads the set document byoperating a “registration button” on the lower right.

FIG. 14 is an example of a screen in a case where the “registrationbutton” in FIG. 13 is operated. “Temporary registration” and “completeregistration” buttons are displayed, and description of each button isdisplayed. The “temporary registration” means temporary uploading when adocument planned to be uploaded exists subsequent to a document intendedto be uploaded now, and the request destination user operates the“temporary registration” button in a case of continuing the upload of adocument. In a case where the registration of all documents iscompleted, the “complete registration” button is operated. The“temporary registration” corresponds to the temporary registration ofS205 in FIG. 8, and the “complete registration” corresponds to thedefinitive registration with respect to the temporary registration.

FIG. 15 is an example of a screen transmitted from the shared server 14in a case where the file size exceeds the secured capacity, which isdisplayed on the display device of the request destination user terminal12. The following message is displayed.

“Upload cannot be performed since the designated capacity is exceeded by20 MB.

Do you want to make a capacity increase request?” Herein, “20 MB” is adifference between the file size and the secured capacity, and thedifference is calculated by the control device 141. In a case where therequest destination user operates a “yes” button, the requestdestination user terminal 12 transmits a capacity increase request tothe shared server 14.

FIG. 16 is an example of a screen transmitted from the shared server 14in a case where the capacity increase request is transmitted from therequest destination user terminal 12, which is displayed on the displaydevice of the client user terminal 10. The following message isdisplayed.

“An area increase request is received from a user A in response to theupload request.

In a case of approving the increase, please increase through the linkbelow.”

In addition, a URL to be accessed in order to increase the securedcapacity is also displayed. Herein, the “user A” is the requestdestination user.

FIG. 17 is an example of a screen displayed in a case where the clientuser clicks the URL displayed in FIG. 16. In a case where a plurality ofupload requests exist, the request content thereof is listed anddisplayed. In a case where the client user selects an upload requestindicating that a capacity is to be increased, from the list, the menuis displayed as follows as detailed menu.

-   -   Detailed display    -   Open a folder    -   Upload history    -   Approve an increase request        The “approve an increase request” is pop-up displayed in a case        where a capacity increase request is received from the request        destination user terminal 12. In a case where the client user        selects the “approve an increase request”, the following message        is displayed.

“A request to increase by 20 MB is received.

Do you want to approve?”

In a case where the client user operates the “yes” button, the clientuser terminal 10 transmits the fact that a capacity increase is approvedto the shared server 14.

Although the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is describedhereinbefore, the present invention is not limited to the exemplaryembodiment, and various modifications are possible. Hereinafter,modification examples will be described.

Modification Example 1

In the exemplary embodiment, in a case where a stored file in thestorage area has content determined in advance, that is, a file name ofa request target matches the stored file name or the number of filesmatches the number of stored files, the secured capacity is decreased.In a case otherwise, the secured capacity is not decreased. However, ina case where the stored file in the storage area does not have thecontent determined in advance, for example, in a case where the storedfile is a file having a file name that does not match the file name ofthe request target, the secured capacity may be increased for the sakeof a file to be originally uploaded, instead of decreasing the securedcapacity. Although an increased amount is any amount, the storage areais wasted by a mistakenly stored file size. Therefore, to compensate forthis, the storage area is increased by the mistakenly stored file size.

Modification Example 2

The secured capacity is released, that is, decreased to zero in a casewhere a file is stored in the storage area in the exemplary embodiment.However, in a case where a file is stored as well, the secured capacitymay be decreased to zero through a plurality of stages in turn such thatthe secured capacity is decreased to zero through a plurality of stagesin turn as shown in FIG. 5 in a case where a file is not stored. Forexample, when the remaining capacity of the storage area 146 c becomes 2MB as a result of securing 4 MB as the secured capacity of the storagearea 146 c in an initial state and storing 2 MB of file in the storagearea 146 c in FIG. 3, first, the secured capacity is released by 1 MB,and next, the remaining 1 MB is released after a certain length of timehas passed until the secured capacity is finally decreased to zero,instead of decreasing the secured capacity to zero MB by releasing 2 MBof the remaining capacity all at once. By decreasing step by step, it ispossible to flexibly respond to the upload of an additional file fromthe request destination user terminal 12 as well.

Modification Example 3

In the exemplary embodiment, the control device 141 may determinewhether the request destination user is a registered user or anunregistered user, and change the secured capacity only in a case wherethe request destination user is an unregistered user. That is because ina case where the request destination user is a registered user, the filesharing area 146 has the storage area 146 c which is already assignedthereto, and thus the secured capacity can be increased or decreased asappropriate according to necessity. In addition, instead of changing thesecured capacity with respect to all unregistered users, the securedcapacity may be changed only with respect to a certain unregistereduser. For example, in a case where the request destination user is anunregistered user who does not have past upload history, the securedcapacity is decreased. However, in a case where the request destinationuser is an unregistered user who has past upload history, the securedcapacity is maintained without decreasing. Alternatively, in a casewhere the request destination user is an unregistered user who belongsto a certain group, the secured capacity is decreased. In a case wherethe request destination user is an unregistered user who belongs to agroup other than the certain group, the secured capacity is maintainedwithout decreasing. Switching control may be performed as to whether ornot to change the secured capacity according to an attribute of anunregistered user.

Modification Example 4

In Modification Example 3, in a case where the secured capacity ischanged only in a case of an unregistered user, a degree to which thesecured capacity is decreased may be changed according to an attributeof the unregistered user. That is, in a case of an unregistered userhaving a first attribute, the secured capacity is decreased in a firstaspect, and in a case of an unregistered user having a second attributewhich is different from the first attribute, the secured capacity isdecreased in a second aspect which is different from the first aspect.For example, the secured capacity is decreased step by step with respectto an unregistered user who has past upload history, and the securedcapacity is decreased all at once to zero with respect to anunregistered user who does not have past upload history.

FIG. 18 is a processing flow chart of a modification example. FIG. 18 isa processing flow chart corresponding to the processing of FIG. 8 in theexemplary embodiment. What is different from FIG. 8 is that processingof S2061 to S2063 is executed instead of the secured capacity increasingprocessing of S206 in FIG. 8.

That is, in a case where definitive registration is selected instead oftemporary registration (NO in S205), the control device 141 furtherdetermines whether or not the request destination user who has uploadeda file is an unregistered user (S2061). The determination may be madefrom a mail address of a mail destination or a name of the requestdestination user at a timing when an upload request is received from theclient user terminal 10. In a case where the request destination user isnot an unregistered user (NO in S2061), that is, in a case of aregistered user, secured capacity decrease processing is not executed.In a case of an unregistered user (YES in S2061), an attribute of theunregistered user is further determined (S2062). Specifically, theattribute is past upload history, a belonging organization or group,importance, and a security level. Then, the secured capacity isdecreased based on an aspect according to the determined attribute(S2063). An aspect of decrease includes both of temporal andquantitative decreases, and in a case where an attribute differs, anaspect of decrease differs as well.

Although an aspect of decrease differs according to an attribute of anunregistered user in a case of decreasing the secured capacity in FIG.18, an aspect of increase may differ according to an attribute of anunregistered user in a case of increasing the secured capacity.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modificationsand variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: aprocessor coupled to and configured to control a non-transitory storagemedium in a shared server at least by: allocating, within thenon-transitory storage medium, a file sharing area; securing a storagearea within the file sharing area in the shared server; and changingdynamically a secured capacity of the storage area relative to an emptyarea and a used area of the file sharing area according to a storagestatus of the storage area, wherein dynamically changing the securedcapacity of the storage area comprising: receiving a file comprising afile size which is less than the storage area; and configuring a totalsize of the storage area as the file size of the file and releasing aremaining area of the storage area to be absorbed by the empty area. 2.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to store the file in the storage area byan unregistered user who is not registered in advance for using theshared server.
 3. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to control thesecured capacity to decrease when the file is stored in the storagearea.
 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,wherein the processor is further configured to control the securedcapacity to decrease when the file is stored in the storage areacomprising: wherein the processor is further configured to control thesecured capacity to decrease when the file is stored in the storage areaand a certain length of time passes.
 5. The information processingapparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to control the secured capacity to decrease when the file isstored in the storage area comprising: wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to control the secured capacity to decrease when the file isstored in the storage and the file has content determined in advance. 6.The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein theprocessor is further configured to control the secured capacity todecrease when a certain time limit passes after the storage area issecured.
 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the unregistered user is a user who receives a storing requestfrom a registered user who is registered in advance for using the sharedserver.
 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,wherein the processor is further configured to make a change in thesecured capacity different according to an attribute of the unregistereduser.
 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to control the securedcapacity to decrease when the file is stored in the storage area. 10.The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein theprocessor is further configured to control the secured capacity todecrease when the file is stored in the storage area comprising: theprocessor is further configured to control the secured capacity todecrease when the file is stored in the storage area and a certainlength of time passes.
 11. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the secured capacity to decrease when the file is stored in thestorage area comprising: wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the secured capacity to decrease when the file is stored in thestorage and the file has content determined in advance.
 12. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein theprocessor is further configured to control the secured capacity toincrease by a size of the file when the file does not have the contentdetermined in advance.
 13. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the secured capacity to decrease when the file is stored in thestorage area comprising: wherein the processor is further configured tocontrol the secured capacity to decrease when the file is stored in thestorage area and there are a predetermined number of the files.
 14. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein processoris further configured to not control the secured capacity to decreasewhen the file is temporarily stored.
 15. The information processingapparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to control the secured capacity to decrease when the file isstored in the storage area comprising: wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to control the secured capacity to decrease to zero when thefile is stored in the storage area.
 16. The information processingapparatus according to claim 15, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to control the secured capacity to decrease to zerocomprising: wherein the processor is further configured to control thesecured capacity to decrease to zero through a plurality of stages. 17.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to control the secured capacity todecrease when a certain time limit passes after the storage area issecured.
 18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to control the securedcapacity to increase when a size of a file to be stored in the storagearea exceeds the secured capacity.
 19. The information processingapparatus according to claim 18, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to not control the secured capacity to increase when the sizeof the file to be stored in the storage area exceeds a threshold.
 20. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing acomputer comprising a processor to execute: allocating, within thenon-transitory computer readable medium, a file sharing area; securing astorage area within the file sharing area in the shared server; andchanging dynamically a secured capacity of the storage area relative toan empty area and a used area of the file sharing area according to astorage status of the storage area, wherein dynamically changing thesecured capacity of the storage area comprising: receiving a filecomprising a file size which is less than the storage area; andconfiguring a total size of the storage area as the file size of thefile and releasing a remaining area of the storage area to be absorbedby the empty area.
 21. An information processing apparatus comprising: aprocessor coupled to and configured to control a non-transitory storagemedium in a shared server at least by: allocating, within thenon-transitory storage medium, a file sharing area; securing a storagearea within the file sharing area in the shared server; changingdynamically a secured capacity of the storage area relative to an emptyarea and a used area of the file sharing area according to a storagestatus of the storage area; receiving a file and storing the file in thestorage area; and control the secured capacity to decrease to zero whenthe file is stored in the storage area.